Dr. Wang is currently the chief of the Basic Science Research Program in the Department of Emergency Medicine at North Shore University Hospital. He also serves as a professor of molecular medicine at the Elmezzi Graduate School, and the director of the Laboratory of Emergency Medicine at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.

He earned a BS degree in biology from Hebei University in 1984, and then completed an MS degree in microbiology at Zhejiang University in 1987. In 1992, Dr. Wang received his PhD in microbiology from Louisiana State University, and subsequently finished a three-year postdoctoral fellowship in cell biology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. In 1995, Dr. Wang joined the Department of Emergency Medicine at North Shore University Hospital as the chief of the Basic Science Research Program.

Since 2002, Dr. Wang has obtained several R01 grants from the National Institute of General Medical Science (R01GM063075 and R01GM070817) and the National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (R01AT005076). He has procured several patents regarding the use of acute phase proteins (e.g., fetuin and serum amyloid A) and herbal components (such as tanshinone IIA) as a potential therapeutic targets and agents. Since 1997, Dr. Wang has published 130 peer-reviewed research and review articles, which have been cited more than 15,900 times, according to the Web of Science (with an h-index = 51).

Dr. Wang currently serves as a referee for 40 journals, and editorial board member for five scientific journals (including Shock, Inflammation & Allergy – Drug target, SOJ Immunology, and Military Medical Research). Since 2009, he serves as a Reviewer / Member of multiple NIH Special Emphasis Panels. Dr. Wang also plays an active role in international conferences by serving as a co-moderator and invited speaker at several international shock and sepsis conferences.

He has not focused all of his energies solely on research, but has made significant contributions to academia and the advancement of knowledge to the future of biomedical research. Dr. Wang is currently mentoring postdoctoral fellows and high school students who have been named semifinalists in several international science competitions.

Research Focus

Dr. Wang’s research is intended to uncover the intricate mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of human inflammatory diseases including cerebral ischemic injury and sepsis, two hot topics of the emergency medicine research. To that end, he is interested in identifying novel therapeutic targets and/or agents to fight against severe injury- and infection-elicited dysregulated inflammation. One outgrowth of this effort was the seminal discovery of a ubiquitous nucleosomal protein, HMGB1, as a critical late mediator of lethal inflammatory diseases (Science 1999, 285: 248-251). Currently, he is investigating the molecular mechanisms of HMGB1 release by identifying its negative (inhibiting) and positive (stimulating) regulators. This line of investigation led to the discovery of innate immune cell-derived pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IFN-gamma) and liver-derived acute phase proteins (such as fetuin-A and serum amyloid A) as important regulators of HMGB1 release. He is also interested in investigating the biological roles of various acute phase proteins in animal models of inflammatory diseases (such as endotoxemia, sepsis, and rheumatoid arthritis).

Another outgrowth of the project was the discovery of major components of several Chinese herbs including Danggui (Angelica sinensis), Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), Green tea (Camellia sinensis), and Gancao (Radix glycyrrhizae), that effectively attenuate HMGB1 release and confer protection against lethal endotoxemia and sepsis. He is interested in uncovering the novel pharmacological mechanisms by which these herbal ingredients block HMGB1 release at molecular and cellular.

His laboratory has been closely collaborating with the North Shore University Hospital Emergency Medicine Department for more than 17 years. This joint venture encourages his team to ask clinically relevant scientific questions, enabling us to uncover the intricate mechanisms of innate immune regulation, and to develop potential therapeutics for human inflammatory diseases.

Severe sepsis is an overwhelming systemic inflammatory response to infection, claiming approximately 225,000 victims annually in the U.S. alone. Its high mortality is in part mediated by dysregulated inflammatory responses manifested by the excessive accumulation of various pro-inflammatory cytokines. To uncover the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of sepsis, he has been attempting to identify novel therapeutic targets and/or agents for this disease since 1996. One outgrowth of this effort was the seminal discovery of a ubiquitous nucleosomal protein, HMGB1, as a critical late mediator of lethal endotoxemia (Science 1999, 285: 248-251). This groundbreaking finding laid down a foundation for further uncovering the intricate mechanisms of innate immune regulation, and stimulated an interest in developing novel therapeutic strategies for sepsis and other inflammatory diseases.

Project 1: Regulation of HMGB1 release in Endotoxemia.

Dr. Wang is investigating the molecular mechanisms of HMGB1 release by identifying potential endogenous negative (inhibiting) and positive (stimulating) regulators. This line of investigation led to the discovery of several innate immune cell-derived pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IFN-gamma) and liver-derived acute phase proteins (such as fetuin-A and serum amyloid A) as important HMGB1 regulators. Moving forward, he is investigating the intricate mechanisms by which these cytokines and acute phase proteins regulate HMGB1 release, and influence the pathological outcomes in animal models of endotoxemia and sepsis.

Project 2: Mechanisms of Novel Herbal Therapies for Sepsis.

Many Chinese herbs belong to the realm of complementary and alternative medicine, and have been traditionally used for treating various inflammatory diseases. To further elucidate mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of sepsis, we have screened >50 commonly used medicinal herbs for potential HMGB1-inhibiting properties. Among them, the major components of several Chinese herbs including Danggui (Angelica sinensis), Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), Green tea (Camellia sinensis) and Gancao (Radix glycyrrhizae) effectively attenuate HMGB1 release, and confer protection against lethal endotoxemia and sepsis. He is now uncovering the novel and distinct mechanisms by which various herbal ingredients block HMGB1 release at molecular and cellular levels. Moreover, He will also explore their therapeutic potential using various animal models of inflammatory diseases, with particular attempt to advance the efficacy from employing nanotechnology and other chemical strategies.

In summary, the investigation of novel inflammatory mediators and their inhibitors will shed light on the mechanisms underlying regulation of the innate immune response, and provide clues to the development of novel therapeutics for human sepsis.